Bruno Mastroianni has been in Information Technology leadership roles for over 25 years primarily in Higher Education and Healthcare focusing on innovation, technology and business strategy. Bruno recently joined CORE (Center for Organ Recovery and Education) as the Chief Information Officerand is responsible for technology strategy and managing overall IT operations.Prior to joining CORE, he most recently provided IT leadership for a local health system successfully installing an EMR for a 4000+ employee Health System to achieve Meaningful Use stage 1 year 1 and 2. Under his leadership that organization was awarded Most Wired and met the HIMSS Stage 6requirement as well as receiving numerous awards for innovation solutions that were developed and implemented during his tenure there.

Sajid Khan: Bruno, Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this Interview. Can you begin by sharing your perspective on the role of CIO in an Organ Procurement Organization as CORE?

Bruno: CORE is one of 58 federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) in the United States. CORE works closely with donor families and designated health care professionals to deliver the gift of hope by coordinating the surgical recovery of organs, tissues and corneas for transplantation. CORE also facilitates the computerized matching of donated organs, tissues and corneas. The CIO role advises and guide business leaders on technology and innovation, manages risk to an appropriate level, and is always looking for opportunities to not only manage costs but to increase the speed to delivery, enhancing security practices and ensuring system availability in an environment that the technology solutions are critical in helping to save a life.

SK: Would you like to share some of your challenging initiativesat CORE?

Bruno: The key challenges that we are facing at CORE are the same issues that every CIO is facing. Increased requirements for security, analytics, mobile access, and cloud solutions drive strategy decisions for all organizations balanced with the ongoing operational needs and staying current with technologies. Being an Organ Procurement Organization it is imperative that we make sure our data is secure and our systems are always available for our staff and need to make sure these technologies are in alignment with our business. It is also important that CORE understands what measures are not only important to us but how we compare to other Organ Procurement Organizations so we can all work to having the best practices possible to save as many lives as possible.

SK: How effectivelynonprofit healthcare companies have beeninnovating inthe last few years?

Bruno: Healthcare organizations have faced a similar balancing act that other organizations face with determining the priorities for the organization while meeting the demands of staying current with technology. It is all about the leadership at the organization and the focus of the team over the years. The requirement to balance internal and external drivers while implementing technologies to differentiate your organization is a key to any business. There are healthcare organizations have been successful at implementing core Electronic Health Record systems while deploying innovative solutions designed on the iPad and iPhones. CORE’s leadership and board has recognized the importance of technology for its business and has kept current with technology solutions implementing solid business continuity systems while implemented very sophisticated intranet, creating a paperless board utilizing Apple iPads and on premise private cloud infrastructure.

SK: What are some of your plans for future as a CIO at CORE?

Bruno: I look forward to being an active contributor in the Organ Procurement Organization community while implementing and maintaining the state of the art infrastructure implemented in the environment. We will be working to improve our security practices, evaluate and pilot cloud solutions. We will also be spending time building analytics working with key OPO partners to develop comparatives and best practices to improve our focus, processes and quality of our services.

SK: What’s been your splendid achievement in your career?

Bruno: I have been fortunate to work in a number organizations in my career that recognizes the importance of external validation to demonstrate the organization is focused on the right technology solutions to support the business. I have been fortunate to be a leader at organizations with great teams that enabled my organizations to be on the Most Wired three times. At my last role, we implemented many very successful projects that enabled us to meet the HIMSS Stage 6 certification prior to me leaving to come to CORE. These type of changes come from a lot of hard work with a great team including IT team, physicians, nurses, management and the entire staff delivering technology solutions all with the intent to improve care provided to the patient.

SK: Could you please share your leadership Style? Does your leadership style vary with the role?

Bruno: My leadership style is adaptive to the team and individuals that I work with and report to me. It is key to highlight individual strengths and support areas for improvement to build a high performing team. I empower individuals and working teams to complete the tasks at hand and provide assistance, mentoring or coaching when necessary. It is critical to support your team, be available to them and make sure they have the tools and resources needed to be successful. Being new to CORE, my style needed to adapt to the differences from my last employer which is much larger. It is imperative that I adapt and understand the Organ Procurement business and styles of team members.

SK: What advice would you offer for other informationexecutives who aspire to follow yourfootsteps?

Bruno: It is important to become the go to person at your organization while demonstrating leadership. Volunteering for projects and teams that you can help make a difference. It is also very important to do a lot of listening, be thoughtful on your responses and do not be afraid to take risks and make mistakes. Learn from your actions and make sure you are working in an organization that recognizes your talents and helps to get the experience and opportunities needed to get to the level you desire. Great leaders always support their teams and make sure they are successful. I have always looked for organizations that have been a good fit for me personally and professionally. I am fortunate to have become part of the CORE that have values that align with my personal beliefs. Make sure when you consider where you will work that it is in alignment for you.

SK: Anything else you would like to share with our readers.

Bruno: We all should work somewhere that matches our personal goals with a great team that empowers you to be successful. Working for an organization like CORE is life changing for me. Not only do I work with great people, have a great team and work with very current technology, we make a difference every day. There are many very important jobs out there at great organizations, working in an organization that saves lives is amazing. Nationally, more than 110,000 people are awaiting an organ transplant. At least 18 will die each day without receiving one. Without the organ donor, there is no story, no hope, no transplant. Please become an organ donor today.